City to keep residents in the loop about trash-service changes

Residents should be prepared for a few changes when Hilliard's five-year contract with Local Waste Services begins July 1.

All solid waste, recyclable materials and yard waste will be picked up citywide each Tuesday, and most residents' standard monthly fees for service will increase from $16.18 per month, per household, to $16.28.

The standard $16.28 monthly rate is for the first two years of the five-year contract, Hilliard Service Director Butch Seidle said, and it does not reflect potential discounts.

In addition, all residents, except those living in apartments, will receive two receptacles. One will be for solid waste and the other for recyclable materials.

The receptacles will be delivered to the driveways of residences, Seidle said, together with a letter explaining how they are to be used.

The delivery of the receptacles is the last of a three-step process the city will undertake to make the change as seamless as possible, Seidle said.

Beginning early next month, the city will mail letters and use social media to introduce ReCollect, a program and application that will allow registered users to receive information on delays in service and to report missed pickups.

In late May, Local Waste Services is expected to send letters to all residents explaining the pending switch in service providers and reiterating how Local Waste Services will provide services, including the change to Tuesday collections.

The city also will include information about city officials taking control of billing, how billing will occur and outlining the discounts the city provides, Seidle said.

Rumpke directly billed residents quarterly, but the city expects to bill twice a year.

It also will provide a 10 percent discount to senior citizens and to residents who pay in full before the end of the first quarter of the billing year, which would be Sept. 30. Senior citizens can receive both discounts for a total of 20 percent.

Finally, during the final week of June, the city and Otto Environmental Systems will begin to deploy the receptacles with the explanatory letters.

"Our goal is to have a clear and identical message at each step," via letters, the city's official website and general social media, Seidle said.

Seidle said about 19,000 carts will be distributed and the precise timing and manner are yet to be finalized. Residents do not have to be home for the delivery.

After a six-week period to fabricate all the carts, Seidle said, he expects Otto Environmental Systems will hire a contractor to use a flatbed truck and deliver the carts to each single-family residence and condominium in the city.

Single-family residences will receive two 64-gallon carts, with wheels and hinged lids. The green receptacle will be for solid waste and the blue one will be for recyclable material.

Residents living in condominiums will receive 32-gallon carts.

After 60 days, residents may contact the city to change sizes.

"We will have about 400 carts on-site to swap out or replace as necessary," Seidle said.

City officials have not announced where residents should go to swap them out.

Residents with 64-gallon carts can trade up or down, based on availability, Seidle said.

Residents seeking a larger receptacle for solid waste will have to pay a one-time charge up front of $11.48, plus a $15 delivery fee, Seidle said. They can avoid the delivery fee by bringing their container to the city and swapping it out, he said.

To encourage recycling, the city will subsidize the cost of an upgrade to the 96-gallon recyclables container, Seidle said.

As part of the switch in providers, Rumpke will collect its property during the final week of service.

Seidle said he has not discussed the details but if past practices are an accurate indicator, Rumpke likely will have a vehicle following its collection truck to collect bins emptied of recyclable material on the final day of service in a particular neighborhood.

Most residents should have two red plastic bins that Rumpke provided when it began providing service in 2009, Seidle said.

In some instances, residents leased from Rumpke large receptacles or carts, which also are likely to be collected on the final day of service, Seidle said.

Because residents are being provided large receptacles, Seidle said the city is aware a significant number of people might opt to dispose of existing receptacles.

"We are working on a policy with Local Waste Services for the collection or recycling of trash cans," Seidle said.